Whoever vs Whomever | Difference & Examples

Whoever and whomever mean “whichever person.” “Whoever” is a subject pronoun, like “he” and “she,” that is used for the performer of an action (e.g., “whoever threw that”). “Whomever” is an object pronoun, like “him” and “her,” that is used for the receiver of an action (e.g., “give that to whomever”).

When to use whoever

“Whoever” is a pronoun that means “whichever person” or “no matter who.”

“Whoever” is similar to “who” because they are both subject pronouns, which replace the noun that performs the action of the verb. “I,” “he,” “she,” “we,” and “they” are also subject pronouns.

Use “whoever” when referring to the person or thing that does the action. For example, if a teacher tells her students, “Whoever guesses correctly gets a piece of candy,” “whoever” here refers to the student who performs the action of guessing.

You can test whether the use of “whoever” is correct by replacing it with “he” or “she.” If the sentence makes sense, then “whoever” is the correct choice. However, some sentences may need to be adjusted or simplified in order for this verification method to work.

When to use whomever

“Whomever” is similar to “whom” because they are both object pronouns that receive the action of the verb or act as the object of a preposition. “Me,” “him,” “her,” “us,” and “them” are also object pronouns.

Use “whomever” when referring to someone who is receiving an action or functioning as the object of a preposition. For example, in “Give the gift to whomever you see first,” “whomever” is the object of “to” and refers back to the person receiving the verb’s action.

You can test whether a sentence is correctly using “whomever” by replacing it with another object pronoun, like “him,” “her,” or “them.” If the sentence is grammatically sound, then “whomever” is correct. Sometimes, though, the sentence may have to be simplified by removing the modifier (e.g., “you see first”). “Give the gift to her” makes sense, confirming the correct usage of “whomever.”

How to test whoever or whomever

However, it’s important to note that this verification method isn’t always straightforward and can lead to errors, especially in complex sentences in which the relationship between the pronoun and its verb isn’t clear.

For example, you may check the sentence above by testing the pronoun with the initial verb phrase “deliver the package,” which renders the sentence as “deliver the package to her,” which seems to make sense.

But the correct approach is to isolate the noun clause, which in this case is “whoever/whomever answers the door.”

The verification above confirms that “whoever” is the preferred pronoun to use because it functions as the subject of the verb “answers.”

Frequently asked questions about whoever vs whomever

Is it to whomever it may concern or to whom it may concern?

The correct greeting is “To Whom It May Concern.”

“Whomever” can follow a preposition as an object pronoun but must directly refer to someone who is the recipient of an action, which is not the case here.

Is it to whoever or to whomever?

If the pronoun is functioning as the subject, meaning it is performing the verb, use “to whoever” (e.g., “to whoever enjoys”).

If the pronoun is functioning as the object, meaning it is the recipient of the verb or the object of the preposition, use “to whomever” (e.g., “to whomever I see”).